The 20th Senatorial Blog will cover news in the election to replace outgoing Senator Charles Lemmond in the 20th Senatorial District of Pennsylvania.

Friday, April 21, 2006

Issue 1 ----- Gun Gontrol

Candidates Express Their Views Part 1 Gun ControlWe asked the candidates for their responses to 13 Questions. Over the next few days, we will post their answers. We put the candidates names in the blogomatic candidate randomization selector, so the order of their answers is totally random. Here's one of our questions:What is your position on gun rights or gun control?Madeira:Article I Section 21. of the PA Constitution “The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned.” What part of “shall not be questioned” do you not understand? SuttonI believe a person has the right to bear arms. I agree with waiting periods for handguns. The government has the responsibility of protecting people, so common sense dictates that your average citizen shouldn’t have automatic weapons. Personally, I am a hunter and a sportsman.HaggertyAs a member of the National Rifle Association, I believe that any law-abiding citizen has the right to bear arms. I do not favor restricting any law-abiding citizen from the right to carry or own firearms. I am also against efforts to infringe the privacy rights of law-abiding gun owners.BigusBigus did not answer our survey, but it does say on his website that he is a member of the NRA, and we have heard him claim he is the only sportsman in the race.BakerBaker also did not respond to our survey, so we had to go to her website. After looking at her "Mike Dukakis in a Tank Photo," we gleened this from the website. "As a wife and mother of avid sportsmen, Lisa opposes any legislation or regulation that attempts to restrict the rights of law-abiding individuals to purchase, possess, and use firearms for legitimate purposes, as guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. "McNamaraI started hunting when I was 12 years old and I still hunt. I still have my first BB gun from age 8. It’s not in good shape! Having served for almost 30 years in the Army National Guard, I have trained with many weapons safely. The Pennsylvania Uniform Firearms Act is our current law. At this time, I do not feel that this law needs to become more restrictive.

Mr Haggerty we know what you say about the police but how do they feel about you as you defend the criminals they arrest? In addition, perhaps you feel safe in Kingston because you just dont' know about the increase in crime -we had 3 breakins around our neighborhood before Christmas and none were reported in the paper - it was until the church at the corner was broken into that we finally were made aware! And Please put the WELCOME TO KINGSTON signs back up!